To human rights victims, she's a 'beacon of hope'

Sister Ann Durst is supposed to be retired from the Casa Cornelia Law Center (CCLC). But as founder of the pro bono civil rights firm, Durst can’t seem to stay away.

Durst, 75, joined the Society of the Holy Child Jesus order 58 years ago, but also felt driven to study law. In 1983, Durst earned a law degree from Georgetown University and has since worked to help San Diego’s immigrants.

The Linda Vista resident who was raised in the Midwest tells us about her work.

Q: What is the Casa Cornelia Law Center?

A: Casa Cornelia is a not-for-profit law firm providing pro bono services to victims of human and civil rights violations. I like to think of it simply as a beacon of hope in a sea of pain and suffering. There are so many needs, and these folks are so vulnerable.

Q: Why is there a need for it in San Diego?

A: While on sabbatical in 1991, I traveled the Mexican-American border assessing the legal needs of the immigrant community. I suppose one could say I was “on a quest.” It was a time of transition. I visited five cities along the border and could have hung my shingle in any one of them. But San Diego — the busiest land border crossing in the world — was clearly the place to begin. No one has ever questioned my judgment on this decision.

Q: Can you describe the kinds of cases the center handles?

A: Casa Cornelia primarily serves three groups of victims: those fleeing persecution in their homelands; undocumented abused, abandoned or detained children in federal custody; and undocumented victims of violent crimes — especially domestic violence. From wherever there is turmoil, refugees come. Over the last 20 years, CCLC has served some 11,000 individuals from around the globe — East and West Africa, the Middle East, former Soviet Republics, and, of course, Central and South America and Mexico. They were all eligible for relief under the law, but were simply unable to access the system because of circumstances beyond their control.

Q: Why should the general public be concerned about immigrant rights?

A: As an attorney, I believe everyone should be concerned about human suffering and injustice — and most are. Admittedly, I am passionate about a nation rooted in the conviction that all persons have been endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our immigration laws and policies need to sustain these truths, or we will lose our identity as a nation. Sadly, most Americans are unaware or ill-informed about U.S. immigration law and policy. More fundamentally, as a woman of faith, a Christian, promoting justice with compassion for immigrants is a matter of being responsive to the presence of God in each person — documented or not.

Q: Why did you decide to become a nun?

A: I became a nun because I believed then, as I believe now, that this is what I was meant to be. The reasons I initially came to become a nun are not the reasons I remain a nun today. As with any commitment, there is a dynamic at play in the life itself.

Q: What are some misconceptions about nuns?

A: There is a danger of thinking that women who chose to become nuns are all cut from the same cloth. This leads to generalizations and misconceptions dependent upon one’s personal experience — or lack thereof. Those with little personal knowledge of nuns often assume a cinematic view — “The Bells of St. Mary’s,” “Sister Act” — that nuns are naive, childish. Some traditional Catholics may assume nuns are no longer orthodox, as evidenced by giving up the habit, that they are worldly and unfaithful. The life of a nun — in which one commits to living a celibate life, holding all things in common, and being “at the ready” to go and do what others choose — is prone to endless misunderstanding. It is something best understood from inside out, one nun at a time.

Q: How do you feel about the new Pope Francis?

A: Francis is great gift to the Church, actually, the world. His pastoral, rather than doctrinal, focus on the poor and nonjudgmental perspective on the human condition are so very welcome. As a friend said to me recently, “To think we’ve lived to see this day!” To which I say, “Amen.”

Q: What’s the best advice you ever received?

A: There is nothing to be feared from the truth; good prevails when people face the truth. This advice, more a lesson, was brought home to me by word and example by a dear friend and colleague during my years at Rosemont College.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Thinking of the ideal weekend begins with Friday night and “Foyle’s War” (TV series). Next morning: a walk on Mission Beach and lots of time for reading, music and touching base with friends on the East Coast by phone. Later, friends and colleagues come for supper on the grill. Sunday liturgy and breakfast. Late afternoon work in the garden, then time to be beaten again and again at computer chess. Masterpiece Theater and bed. Rarely happens.